ELCA NEWS SERVICE
January 25, 2007
Consultation Provides Guidance for Work on ELCA Statement on Genetics
07-010-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) called together about 20 scientists and ethicists,
politicians and activists, farmers and others here Jan. 20-21 to
discern an initial agenda for the work of a task force charged
with developing a social statement on genetics and biotechnology
for the church. The group of specialists, who gathered for a one-
time consultation hosted by ELCA Church in Society, offered some
themes a social statement on genetics might address.
Adopted by ELCA churchwide assemblies, social statements are
social policy documents that address significant social issues.
The 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly called for a statement that
speaks to "significant theological, ethical, public and pastoral
challenges arising from developments in genetics." The
appointment of task force members is in progress. The social
statement is slated for presentation at the 2011 ELCA Churchwide
Assembly.
"Our hope was to pinpoint key issues, provide critical
perspectives, suggest themes and help indicate some realistic
scope on these matters," said the Rev. Roger A. Willer, director
of studies, ELCA Church in Society.
Participants offered individual reflections and discussed:
+ The moral, legal, social, pastoral and theological challenges
posed to society and the church by expanding genetic science and
technology,
+ How these challenges and their anticipated effects could be
understood and interpreted by the church as they impact members'
lives, the health care system, the natural environment, public
policy, legal practices and economic activity, and,
+ Which of these challenges might be addressed in an ELCA social
statement. They also identified some resources from Scripture
and the tradition of Christian thought that could serve to frame
and direct the development of the social statement.
From the discussion, participants identified several themes
that a social statement on genetics could address. According to
the Rev. Ronald W. Duty, associate director of studies, ELCA
Church in Society, there was a consensus among participants for
"an integrative, theological and ethical framework for the whole
field of genetics rather than to do a series addressing certain
topics within genetics."
According to the group, Duty said, the statement "would need
to include special attention to what it means to be human." The
statement would "have to do two things. One is to develop a
theological understanding of what it means to be human, and the
second is to develop it in such a way that the theological
understanding can also address other living things (that) also
have a genetic inheritance," he said.
"The statement would need to include recognition of a common
genetic basis for all of life. That is not to say that humans
and bears have the same genetic code, but there's a common
genetic inheritance for all of life." The statement would need
"to address human manipulation of that genetic inheritance in
light of the unprecedented power that our knowledge of the
genetic code of various species is giving us," Duty said.
"There are several themes, particularly about humanity, that
participants said should also be addressed" in the social
statement, said Duty. "Things like our understanding of our
Christian vocation, our understanding of human creativity, our
understanding of what it means to be created in the image of God,
and an understanding of Christian stewardship," he said.
Duty said there was "a lot of agreement" among participants
that the statement "should lend itself to being a resource for
pastoral guidance, but it should also be a resource that at the
same time lends itself to corporate moral deliberation by the
church (on) the whole range of genetic issues," he said.
"Genetics is something that surrounds us in our culture,"
the Rev. Michelle L. Nickodemus, St. John Lutheran Church, Canal
Fulton, Ohio, said in an interview. "People are looking for
information, and they are looking for ideas about what is right
and what is wrong. And, they are looking to the church to help
them," she said.
Nickodemus said she hopes the social statement will "create
a framework that talks about who we are as human beings and what
our role is in God's creation. I put that in a stewardship
context. How do we care for the creation and the gifts, skills
and abilities God has given to us?" she said.
"Specifically, I think genetic testing is something that
will become more and more important in everybody's health care,"
said Nickodemus, adding that she "would also like to (hear) us
speak about genetic manipulation as making changes in our
genetics and (those of) crops and animals" and "what that might
mean for us in how we care for creation."
"I would like to see a statement that (speaks) to the
realities of change in the human predicament and, in particular,
the change in human powers collectively that stands behind the
genetic revolution," Dr. Per Anderson, director of international
education and professor of religion, Concordia College, Moorhead,
Minn., said in an interview.
"In this statement, hopefully we will recognize the
immensity of the topic. We will recognize how it is a principal
shaper of the human future, and we will begin to engage in
responsible reflection in a participatory way and in a way that
is appropriate to the power that we now wield," Anderson said.
"There's still a way in which raising questions about
technology is taboo, it's sort of a sacred cow," he said. "The
church has to look at technology as a potentially beneficent
power but also a potentially destructive power and keep that
reality before us, because certainly the past has indicated that
humans have used technology for evil purposes as well as good
purposes."
- - -
Information about ELCA social statements is at
http://www.ELCA.org/SocialStatements on the ELCA Web site.
Information about the ELCA social statement on genetics is at
http://www.ELCA.org/socialstatements/genetics on the ELCA Web
site.
Audio of Nickodemus' comment is at
http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/070123A.mp3 and of Per Anderson's
comment at http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/070123B.mp3 on the
ELCA Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
